Year Course participant Dan Dobro on a recent cooking lesson.

In our Jewish Sociology class with Dr. Avi Rose, we learned about and then made kubeh.

Kubeh can be found in Iraqi, Kurdi, Syrian, and other Middle eastern kitchens. In simple terms, it’s meat stuffed inside dough and then cooked- kind of like a dumpling. Today with the help of Shuli, whose family came from Syria, and Yael, whose father is Indian by way of Iraq (also known as a Baghdadi Indian) we made our own kubeh.

First, we chopped up vegetables- Onions, celery, and beets. and used them to prepare a broth in which to cook the kubeh. Then came the wrapping. We made two kinds of kubeh today- Yael and Shuli both brought their own recipes. Yael’s kubeh called for a semolina based dough. To handle it, we lightly coated our hands in oil and then pancaked a small dough-ball into our palms. Then in the middle of that we plopped some of Yael’s pre-made meat mixture, which was raw chicken and a hint of mint. Then we carefully rolled up the meat into a ball and attempted to close it without it tearing or falling apart. Then we put them on a plate.

Shuli’s kubeh were a little more difficult. While we were rolling Yael’s, Shuli was cooking a pan of grilled beef and onions. Meanwhile, they both were setting the soup up to boil. Shuli’s dough had semolina too but also other grains- it was a bit harder to handle, we had to wet our hands with water. She taught us a special technique of rolling where instead of making a pancake out of the dough, you roll it around one finger and shape it like pottery. Then you just spoon a bit of dough into the bowl, and roll it closed. When the soup has been boiling for ten minutes, you add the kubeh and let it cook for about twenty more. Then you have fresh hot kubeh soup. It was delicious!

Year Course participant Steph Blizter reflects on Arik Einstein’s passing

Even before I went to CYJ Sprout Lake (starting in Ofarim) I was singing Arik Einstein’s music.  “Ani V’Ata” was my anthem by 4^th grade; the song helped me define what I believe is my purpose in the world.

Last night (November 26^th) at 11:45 pm, I was out with some friends when I heard the song “Oof Gozal” being sung by some people out on the streets. Memories of camp and year round activities washed over me.  I was confused as to why people would be singing the song until I got home and saw the news on the Internet.

“Arik Einstein passes away at the age of 74” is what the headlines read.

November 27^th was an all around somber day.  The sky was gray and the feeling in the air was gloomy.  A group of us from Year Course felt obligated to pay our respects to the man who composed the songs we sang as we created some of our best memories as campers.  We caught a bus to Rabin Square in Tel Aviv from our apartments in Jerusalem to attend the memorial service.

The ceremony was moving.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others spoke in front of a large crowd of thousands of people wearing red (for HaPoel Tel Aviv) reminiscing about Arik Einstein and his impact on people around the world.

I felt compelled to attend the ceremony; it was important to me.  Although I’m not one to cry over the loss of a celebrity, I couldn’t help but shed some tears because Arik Einstein was more than a celebrity.  Arik was a thoughtful, modest, talented musician who greatly influenced my friends and me.  It will be different singing his songs in the future; it is no longer singing with him about his dreams, it will now be singing in his memory trying harder than ever to make his dreams a reality.

You and I will change the world  אני ואתה נשנה את  העולם

And we will together, in the spirit of Arik Einstein.